First Edition Magic at Freeman’s

Leading the literature section of the sale is a first edition, first issue copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, or There and Back, published in London in 1937 by George Allen & Unwin (Lot 244). With its first state dust jacket (containing the notable misprint "Dodgeson" for "Dodgson), seven full-page illustrations and map endpapers, this near-fine copy is expected to elicit strong participation from interested parties.

Complementing Tolkien's fantastical classic is a complete, attractive set of A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin Books (Lot 250). The set comprises first trade editions of When We Were Very Young (1924), Winnie-The-Pooh (1926), Now We are Six (1927) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928), each retaining original gilt-pictorial and gilt-paneled colored cloths with intact dust jackets. The volumes are each embellished with compelling decorations by E.H. Shepard, while Winnie-The-Pooh has additional pictorial endpapers depicting a bird's-eye-view of the "100 Akre Wood."